Loss of Heterozygosity on the Short Arm of Chromosome 3 in Oral Squamous Cell Carcinomas : Relationship between loss of heterozygosity on 3p25-ter region and clinical and histological features

Cytogenetic and molecular studies have indicated that a putative tumor suppresor gene (s), which may play an important role in oral squamous cell carcinogenesis, is located on the short arm of chromosome 3 (3 p). We analyzed loss of heterozygosity (LOH) on 3 p, especially the 3 p25-pter region, in 17 oral squamous cell carcinomas (OSCCs) with the use of 5 microsatellite markers and constructed a deletion map for this chromosome arm. LOH at one or more loci was detected in 9 of 17 (53%) tumors. LOH on these region was more common in advanced OSCCs and may be associated with tumor progression. Our data support the notion that one of tumor suppressor gene (s) contributing to the progression of oral squamous cell carcinoma resides on 3 p25-pter.